Batman Recruits Aquaman In Justice League Spot

Ben Affleck’s Batman recruits Jason Momoa’s Aquaman in the latest teaser trailer for Justice League. This massive DC crossover movie arrives in cinemas later this week, and the first Justice League reactions have already begun to appear online: they’re a mixed bag with a lot of positivity, suggesting that, while it isn’t perfect, Justice League could be a step in the right direction for the DC Extended Universe movie franchise.

The film’s original director Zack Snyder and his late-in-the-day replacement Joss Whedon (who stepped in, after Snyder suffered a personal tragedy, to oversee the Justice League reshoots that make up approximately 15-20% of the film) will both be hoping that Aquaman’s induction into DC’s movie universe during Justice League is met with a lot of positivity. After all, Momoa’s Aquaman solo movie has already finished filming ahead of its release next year. Justice League presents DC’s opportunity to get fans on board for Aquaman, just as Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice paved the way for Wonder Woman.

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Building on what fans have seen in the Justice League trailers, this teaser – which was released as a TV spot before heading online – sees Affleck in Bruce Wayne mode, confronting Momoa’s Aquaman in a seaside pub. Clearly, there’s something of a personality clash going on, with the two heroes standing face-to-face and sizing each other up.

As the montage of footage plays out, this TV spot makes it clear that Batman and Aquaman will put their differences aside to face the Justice League villain known as Steppenwolf. The battle footage displayed towards the end of the TV spot shows Aquaman comfortably dispatching a Parademon, one of Steppenwolf’s winged foot soldiers. And the TV spot ends with Aquaman looking positive, standing among computers (possibly in the Batcave) and saying “works for me.” Clearly, he’s in.

However, this TV spot is flitting over a lot of material. At the start of Justice League, it seems likely that Aquaman will be a brooding lone ranger type, and surely it will take more than a couple of words from Bruce Wayne to get him to join a heroic crusade against invading aliens. It will be interesting to see how Aquaman’s arc plays out in the film, taking him from reluctant recruit to enthusiastic team member.